Immigrant Population in the United States at Historic High .

The US Census Bureau’s newly released 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) shows that the US foreign-born population now stands at nearly 40 million, a historic high, representing 12.9 percent of the US population. The data also suggest that between 2009 and 2010, the foreign-born population increased by more than 1.4 million, or by 3.7 percent (compared to 1.5 percent during the 2008-09 period). It is an impressive rise, and by all accounts reflects a continuing rebound after immigration slowed with the recession. However, to some extent the change observed is a data illusion, meaning the increase can partly be attributed to how the data were compiled.